The Match
by ChiaraAgron
Summary: Football match. Unspoken words. Leather jackets and cotton candy. Will Puck and Rachel realise they were made for each other?


**N/A **Okay, this is just a one shot for one of my best friends. I usually write Faberry fanfics, but because it's her, I am willing to write a Puckelberry one ;) Also, I have to admit, I've always had a soft spot for Rachel and Puck together. Okay, on with the show. Reviews are _very _welcome :D xxx

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The atmosphere was already building as Puck made his way through the parking lot, heading towards McKinley's football pitch. It was the end of the semester before they were breaking up for the holidays, so McKinley would be playing their rival team from Carmel High. The weather was getting slightly colder from the December air but Puck just pulled his leather jacket tighter around his middle and rubbed his smooth, big hands together to create more heat.

Some people were shocked that he had quit the football squad earlier in the semester, but he had his reasons and didn't feel as though everyone in the school had to get an explanation. Sometimes things need to be changed to let new changes happen.

As he gave his ticket across and went through the barrier, for the first time in ages a grin formed on his lips. The bright flood lights were projecting streams of glowing light over the lush green pitch, as the cheerleaders were warming up at the bottom of the bleachers.

Tucking the other ticket he had bought for someone else back into his pocket, he made his way past the cheerios, giving a small smile to Quinn and Santana before taking the steps two at a time and sitting down on the row one from the back. It wasn't too busy yet but that was the luxury of coming early; you didn't have to fight for a seat, literally. Once Puck pushed a guy off the bleachers just to get a seat, so he was glad for the peace today.

The game wasn't scheduled to start for another 20 minutes, so Puck just busied himself with mindlessly scrolling through his phone; he didn't want to look like a loner sitting there doing nothing - the phone is the perfect disguise. As his thumb glided over his screen he came across his photos, not really searching for anything in particular.

Puck's eyes looked up for a couple of seconds and laughed when he saw Santana trying to jokingly push Quinn off of the human pyramid. Chuckling to himself, his eyes averted away from the two girls and landed back on his screen. He realised that his hand must have touched the screen when he was looking away. His heart skipped a few much needed beats as he tried to not let his emotions get the better of him.

It had been a month; he didn't want to see her, he didn't want to hold her, he didn't want to hug her when she cried, he didn't want to kiss her... or so he told himself.

Sometimes things change, sometimes people change and sometimes you just have to adapt to those changes, as hard as it may be. For Puck, adapting was one of the hardest things he's ever had to do. He quit the football squad to try and change things, he was going to change Universities and he was even going to go as far as moving states to try and change things, but he was never given the chance or given an explanation as to why things had to change.

The girl in question? One Rachel Berry. The girl of Puck's dreams. The girl with beautiful, brunette, flowing hair, the smile that could brighten anyone's day and the voice that could compete with angels. Actually, screw that; there was no competition; Rachel had the most amazing voice Puck had ever heard.

Shaking his head to rid him from the heavy, emotional thoughts, he looked back down at the picture and chewed his lip. God, wasn't she beautiful? It was taken 6 months ago on the 4th of July. Rachel is leaning into Puck and tenderly kissing his cheek with her eyes closed, as Puck has a dreamy smile plastered on his face and his eyes shining brightly under the lights of the exploding fireworks.

As he thought back over that night, he couldn't help the smile that was slowly creeping onto his face. It was the first time they had kissed, the first time Rachel had admitted she liked him back, although she wouldn't tell him she had liked him for a _very _long time before that night and the first time that Puck truly felt like he was worth something. Rachel brought out the best in him; she made him buckle down with his school work and made him have better manners and Puck would always be thankful to her for that; she made him who he is today.

Tapping his home screen button, he let out a long sigh and slid his phone back into his pocket. He missed her; he _really _missed her. He tried not to think about her too much, but when she is there every day walking around the corridors and sharing classes with him and singing confidently in Glee Club, it was kind of hard not to daydream about her, or look at her or dream abou... okay, you get the point.

As he ran a hand through his mohawk, he looked around and was glad that the bleachers were starting to fill up and that the music was getting louder; always the tell-tale sign that the game was starting soon.

Santana and Quinn were playing red hands and Santana was cheating by distracting Quinn all the time. Puck couldn't help but laugh and try to listen in to their shouting.

"Stop cheating San!" Quinn whined.

"Fine, one last game. I bet I can beat you," the brunette grinned.

Quinn was not one to dismiss a challenge. She lent forward and put her hands at the ready, as Santana did the same.

Puck was intrigued now; what cheat card could Santana play now? She had already used the _"Shit! Spider in your hair!". _Leaning forward on his knees, he continues to watch the show between his friends.

Quinn was winning by quite a lot and Santana was becoming more frustrated by the second. She had to use the only tactic she knew would without-a-doubt distract Quinn immediately.

Grinning wickedly to herself, she licked her lips before speaking up confidently.

"Oh, look! They're selling bacon over..."

"BACOOOON!"

And the blonde was off, completely abandoning the game and sprinting manically off towards the food hut near the side of the field. Santana curled over in laughter, watching her friend search the food hut, sniffing out for any signs of the sizzling meat.

Puck was chuckling to himself, mentally congratulating Santana on her win, even though she cheated… again.

Puck could seriously write a sketch show about those two, they were like Will and Grace, only cooler.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The game is about to start, so please take your seats and get ready to cheer for your home teeeeam... WILLIAM MCKINLEY HIGH SCHOOOOOOOOL!" The announcer shouted over the intercom in the most cheesy voice Puck had ever heard.

Clapping loudly and giving out a cheer as he watched his mates jog onto the field, Puck realised that the game would be a good one and it would give himself a distraction.

"Excuse me, coming through, thank you, excuse me, thanks."

Puck froze. He knew that voice like it was embossed into his mind. Okay, maybe this game wouldn't be a distraction. Turning his head slowly, his suspicions were confirmed.

Rachel was now standing by the empty seat next to Puck, scanning the bleachers for any other empty spaces. She should have got here earlier.

"Um, is this seat taken?" Rachel asked quietly, tucking some hair behind her ear.

They hadn't properly spoken for god knows how long. Rachel was nervous, nervous because he looked so sad but at the same time, dapper as ever. She had always loved that damn leather jacket.

"Uh, n-no, it umm it's free," Puck stuttered out, inwardly cursing himself for letting his nerves show.

Rachel nodded her thanks and elegantly tucked her skirt under herself and sat down, shivering as the back of her thighs came into contact with the cold metal bleachers. She was wearing thick white tights under her skirt, but still the chill seeped through the material and made its way into her tiny bones.

"Are you cold?" Puck asked casually, noting that Rachel was only wearing a yellow peacoat over her argyle animal sweater. He loved those damn animal sweaters.

"Um, a little but I should be okay," Rachel said through chattering teeth.

Puck pursed his lips knowing how stubborn Rachel could be but tried anyway.

"Let me?" Puck asked hesitantly as he stood up and slid off his leather jacket.

Rachel bit her lip, out of Puck's view, and thought about taking his jacket. The stubborn, diva side of her was shouting at her to not take it, to suffer the cold and not give in, otherwise it may look like she wants him back but the normal, loving side of her wants to wrap herself up in the leather jacket and soak in the warmth and never let go.

Puck took the silence as a dismissal and looked defeated as he went to put the jacket back on.

"Y-yes please," she spoke up, halting Puck's movements.

A smile formed on his lips and he inwardly congratulated himself; he loved helping and protecting Rachel and even the littlest action of giving her his jacket made him want to jump with joy.

Leaning over her but not wanting to make her uncomfortable, Puck draped his jacket over her shoulders and sat back down to let her adjust the jacket as she wants it.

He wouldn't let it show but he was freakin' freezing! Oh well, it was worth it, Rachel was warm now.

As she pulled the jacket further round her shoulders she had to try hard not to sigh in contentment, his natural smell was filling her nostrils as the warmth of the familiar jacket was enveloping her.

Puck knew he should maybe try and say something or even just make casual conversation about the game, but he couldn't; his voice was just not coming and even if it did it would probably say something that he wasn't ready to voice out loud.

Quinn and Santana were doing their routine in complete time and with ultimate perfection and as they all formed the final pyramid, both cheerleaders spotted Rachel in the crowd and gave her a big grin; thankful that their friend finally decided to come.

Puck licked his lips, this was too hard, he needed to speak to her, he needed to hear her reply, even if it was a couple of syllables; this silence was killing him.

"Umm, so you decided to come then?" he said quietly, turning only slightly in her direction.

It wasn't meant to come out snarky or accusing, he was genuinely interested.

Puck had asked Rachel to the game a month and a half ago, when things started to get rocky. He had her ticket in an envelope and slipped it into her locker one lunch time with the message, _"I know you don't like the football games because of the loudness and the fact that you don't like football, but I would really like it if you were there with me. P.S. I promise to buy you some cotton candy. xx". _Rachel had spent a couple of days debating the offer, mainly because things had started to go downhill and she never knew where they would be in a couple of days, let alone a month down the line; so she had said no. She had said no because she was confused and she just needed time.

Taking that ticket back from Rachel was much harder than Puck thought it would be and that's when he had truly known that maybe things wouldn't be getting better.

Biting her lip, Rachel realized that she couldn't just ignore the question. She had never given him an answer when she had returned the ticket; she simply told him that she thought she might be busy that night. And truth be told, she was busy tonight. She was meant to be going to see her Uncle with her dads, but something brought her here; who knows what, but something did and Rachel always went with her gut feeling.

"Yeah, my Uncle cancelled the event tonight," Rachel said back, trying to keep her eyes on the opening ceremony, giving Quinn a small wave when the blonde looked her way.

That was a lie. She felt terrible for lying to Puck, but she couldn't exactly just say that she had a gut feeling she should come… that would be weird.

"Oh, well that's g-good... I suppose? Unless you wanted to go see him, in which case that's not good for you, but I mean that it's good you got to come… to… the… game," Puck finished off slowly and in very lame style.

Rachel, for once, was thankful for the loud noises because Puck wouldn't have heard her giggle. He had always had the tendency to ramble when he was either nervous or scared and right now, Rachel was guessing that he was nervous; she could relate.

"Yeah, I came for Santana and Quinn; they've been bugging me for weeks to see them cheer. It's what friends do right?" Rachel said, trying to steer the conversation away from anything that could lead somewhere.

A little bit of Puck's heart sunk at the sentence; just a little bit. _She came for Santana and Quinn. _Puck shook his head; of course she came for her friends… her and him were over. He would admit that when he saw her coming up those bleachers, that maybe… just maybe, she had decided to come for _him._

"Yeah, yeah, that's what friends are for," Puck smiled uneasily, before turning back in his seat to watch the game start.

He lent forward onto his hand and kept his eyes on Finn running onto the pitch and getting the crowd going. As Finn looked over to Puck to get some encouragement from his friend, he spotted the little brunette next to the boy and gave Puck a quick nod and thumbs up. Puck replied by giving a quick, short wave.

Puck had only just forgiven Finn for something that happened over the summer. Finn has been known to have a little crush on Rachel for years, but he has never expressed anything more than a sexual crush because Rachel, in Finn's words, is _"totally fit"._

One late night in early August, Puck had hosted a party. To cut a long story short, there was alcohol, Rachel was in a short dress, Finn was drunk and Puck was putting the trash out but when he came back in, Finn was kissing Rachel up against the kitchen counter. Rachel pushed back immediately and shouted at Finn and the boy had immediately regretted it and apologized profusely to Puck, but it made some tension in his relationship with Rachel. They had only been together for three weeks, so it was still early days and he didn't know how he should react. He didn't know whether Rachel would want him to be protective and shield her from other guys, or if she would want him to be himself and let her be free with whoever she chooses. Going for the truthful option, they let it slide and carried on as normal, but Puck had always kept a subtle close-eye on Finn after that.

The whistle blew.

The game had started.

The evening air was getting colder by the second and Puck genuinely thought his goose bumps were going to grow goose bumps; he really wanted his leather jacket.

As he slowly turned his head to look at Rachel, she was in her own little world, gripping the leather jacket around her like it was a life jacket, as her eyes were closed and she was inhaling the collar.

His eyes trailed lower.

The ring was still on her right hand's index finger. It was a small silver ring, which he had given to her on their one month anniversary. Brenda, Puck's mum, thought it was too much to get for a one month anniversary, but he had insisted he wanted to get it for Rachel. His money box was practically overflowing from all his savings from his pool cleaning business and Rachel had basically drooled when she had seen the ring when they were out in town one Saturday afternoon.

His eyes scanned lower and appreciated every curve and dip that Rachel possessed.

There it was. The rip in her tights on her left knee; sown up messily by Puck himself.

1st August; he had insisted they went for a walk in the forest that Puck always went to when he was little; he wanted to show her the tyre swing that he used to play on. As Rachel got a little too excited about seeing a rabbit in the overgrowth, she went to run after it, but as she was shouting to Puck about how they could adopt the rabbit and call it Barbra, she went flying over a log and landed on her knee, before collapsing into a pile on the forest floor. Puck had been at her side in no more than two seconds, immediately checking her breathing, her heart rate and any signs of concussion. Rachel sat up laughing and told him to stop fussing and that she was alright, apart from a cut knee. He had lifted her all the way home and then continued to let her pick the choice of movie and said she could sleep in his bed while he took the floor. It was only in the morning when Rachel woke up that her tights were placed neatly at the end of the bed with a small post-it note attached reading, _"I know my sowing skills aren't the best. No more trips in the forest for a while. I'm downstairs making breakfast; I'll bring it up when I'm done. P.S. How about we take a trip to the pet shop today? I've heard they do really cute rabbits. x". _

It was little things like this that made Puck feel like there was still a slither of hope.

Looking back up to her face, Rachel was now staring intently at him as she stopped gripping so tightly to the jacket.

Coughing casually, he sat back and rubbed his arms to create some heat.

"So, umm, how is Barbra doing?" Puck asked, before cheering when McKinley scored the first goal.

Rachel immediately flinched when the crowd roared with applause and cheers. Puck noticed the behavior and decided to sit back down, having unconsciously got up like everyone else.

And yes, he had sat back down that _little _bit closer to Rachel than he had been previously.

The crowd died down a bit and Rachel came out of hiding from under Puck's jacket.

"She… she's fine," Rachel said, a little hesitation in her words.

"Fine? Is something wrong?" Puck asked, genuinely concerned for the little bunny.

Rachel had chosen the smallest rabbit out of the bunch. She said that even the underdogs need love. Barbra had black paws and a black line over one eye, making it look like she was constantly judging you with her raised eyebrow; it would always make Puck laugh when he saw her.

"It's just she doesn't seem to be eating properly anymore," Rachel casted her eyes downwards as she slightly turned in her seat.

"How so? Have you changed her diet at all?" Puck said, having forgotten about the game and instead was mesmerized from hearing Rachel talk.

"Umm, not really…" Rachel replied, finally looking up into his eyes for the first time all evening.

Immediately, she wished she hadn't looked at him. His eyes were full of so many emotions, so many unspoken words. She licked her lips and averted her eyes again.

Puck had to hold his breath when those eyes landed on his. They were so beautiful, so open, honest, big, colourful and emotional; the list of words to describe Rachel's eyes was endless. He wished those eyes would look back at him, but sadly, they stayed glued to the zip on his jacket.

Clearing his throat, he spoke up again.

"Not really? What have you fed her Rach?" Puck let out a small laugh at the end, having known Rachel wouldn't stick to Barbra's diet for long.

That sentence did many things to Rachel. It proved to her how well Puck knew her; she didn't even say that she had gone off Barbra's diet regime and he just _knew._ He called her Rach; the nickname only he used. Plus, it was the first time tonight that he actually addressed her by her name and it made her insides flutter. Finally, that little laugh at the end. The little laugh that made her ears tingle and her mouth start to smile. It wasn't a fake laugh or a forced one, it was pure and honest and also slightly teasing. She let the smile take over her lips.

"Nothing _too_ bad," she said back, looking at him again.

Their eyes locked but this time, it was less intense and more fun.

"Carry on," Puck said with a raised eyebrow that always made Rachel giggle.

And she did. She giggled because he looked so damn ridiculous with that look. Puck laughed along, before exaggerating his raised eyebrow with a pair of pursing lips. This just got Rachel laughing harder, gripping his jacket for support. The pair calmed down, having got shushed by the person next to Puck.

"So, what did you feed her?" he continued, having to force the answer out of her.

"Well, it was my dad's birthday and we had a _lot_ of cake left over, so…" Rachel was explaining, waving her hands in the air, before Puck cut her off.

"Oh god. You fed your rabbit _cake_?!" Puck said, sitting back and looking completely shocked.

_Who feeds their rabbit cake?_ Oh yeah, Rachel does.

"She looked hungry and there was loads of the stuff and I was full, so we just, you know… gave her a slice… or two…" Rachel mumbled towards the end, feeling a little guilty, as she tucked her silky hair behind her ear.

Puck had to try hard to ignore Rachel's nimble fingers tucking her hair away behind her cute little ear… that motion always drove him insane.

"First of all, how can a _rabbit _look _hungry_? And, you gave her a slice? What, with a knife and fork?" Puck winked as he finished his sentence, enjoying the banter.

"Puck! I'm being serious, she looked hungry, we had cake, we gave her a slice and she ate it. End of," Rachel slightly stamped her foot before huffing and watching Finn run stupidly up the field instead.

He looked like a Cheshire cat now; a really loved up, dumb, goofy Cheshire cat. Rachel had just said his name for the first time in about three weeks. And, she had stomped her foot. All the things he lov… liked about her, all those little things he liked.

"I was only kidding. Okay, so she ate some cake a week ago and now she isn't eating. I'm going to go for the fact that she is probably still full from the high-in-sugar cake you gave her. Give it a couple more days and if she still isn't eating properly, take her to the vet," Puck smiled, running a hand through his mohawk.

Rachel had barely heard a word he had spoken, she was transfixed with him as he was running his soft hand through that luscious mohawk; it made her butterflies go all funny.

"Ye-yeah, I'll do that, thanks," Rachel mumbled back, eyes still fixated on his hand.

Puck looked confused at Rachel's faraway expression so retreated his hand back to his lap. This action seemed to snap Rachel back to reality.

"Um, toilet, I've got to go to the toilet," Rachel quickly stood up, mumbling her excuse before dropping his jacket onto his lap as she skipped down the bleachers and made her way to the school.

Holding onto his jacket and pulling it close to his face, he could still smell Rachel's perfume invading his nostrils. He didn't feel so cold now, so he laid the jacket down in Rachel's space, making it warm for her return.

Two certain cheerleaders had seen Rachel's hasty escape and excused themselves from the cheerleading squad and took off after the small brunette.

Pushing the door open, they spotted Rachel talking to herself in the mirror. Quinn looked at Santana and they both instantly knew what this was about. First of all though, they needed to say hi.

"Berry!" Santana grinned, walking fully into the room.

Rachel spun round on her heel and ran into her friends, crashing them backwards a little bit. Berry was Rachel's nickname from Santana and Quinn, it wasn't nasty, it was just how it was.

"Whoa, okay, someone needs a hug," Quinn laughed, hugging one shoulder as Santana hugged Rachel's other.

"No, I'm just saying hi," Rachel smiled, as she ended the hug and pulled back.

"We're really happy you decided to come, it's, umm, it's good for you," Santana smiled, walking over so she could sit on the edge of a wash basin.

"Is it though?" Rachel said back, biting her lip and looking confused.

They had all walked over to one sink and were huddled around it. Santana sat on top, Quinn lent to one side as Rachel stood in front of them.

"Yes, you need to be here. Not just to see us perform, but for you-know-who," Quinn said, reaching out and gripping Rachel's arm supportively.

"What, Voldemort?" Santana whispered as she looked around the toilet, pretending to be looking for signs of the one who shall not be named.

Rachel laughed along as Quinn pretended to have a wand in her hand and kick open each stall door, checking for any muggles.

"It's clear," Quinn nodded seriously, before they all just laughed.

Yep, they were all dorks and they loved each other for it. Santana wiped some hair out of her face and got back to the subject at hand.

"Yeah, you don't need to see us perform to know we're awesome," Santana winked, making the others laugh, "but in all seriousness, Quinn's right, you need to talk to him Berry."

Rachel looked at her shoes.

"I know I do, I really do. I just can't… it's so hard," Rachel spoke up, her voice quieter than before.

"Why's it hard? Tell us why you can't get the words out?" Quinn asked, leaning back onto her hip.

"I just… I just… I don't even know. Everything happened so fast last month, I got into NYADA, Puck started hanging out with his mates every night, he started getting new friends, he didn't text me as much, he got into college in LA, he… he… I just don't know," Rachel shoved her face into her hands and whined.

Santana pulled the smaller brunette into her side, gliding her hand through Rachel's hair in a comforting manner.

"You do realise that basically all of those points, bar one, were about Puck?" Santana said softly, not wanting to ruin the quietness.

"Of course they were; he was the significant other in the relationship. Of course everything was about him," Rachel said vulnerably, as Santana stopped playing with her hair.

"No, we mean, they were all about him and how he was, well, moving away a little? Seeming more distant I suppose?" Quinn finished what Santana was trying to get across.

Rachel moved away from Santana's side, her mouth slightly open as the cogs in her mind were working overload.

"He was willing to change things to make circumstances easier though," Santana added.

"I didn't want him to change for me," Rachel said, shaking her head.

"Did you ever think that maybe he _wanted_ to change things for you?" Quinn asked, tilting her head to the side.

Rachel's eyebrows furrowed.

"I know things seemed really big back then Berry, but let's look at it now. You're going to NYADA next September, he isn't going anywhere at the moment because he cancelled college for you. He was looking at flats in New York the other week so he could be with you when you were stressing out about performances in college. He's not out there playing football because he quit the squad to be able to spend more time watching you perform at Lima Theatre. He only comes to Glee so he can see you sing, he told me he doesn't really enjoy performing to so many people, but he would do it for you because you once told him that he had a good talent. He passed all his exams last year because you taught him how to revise without being distracted. And all of those things he changed, because he _wanted_ to," Santana smiled sadly, realising that these two were perfect for each other and they didn't even know it.

Throughout Santana's speech, a small, lonely tear had made its way down Rachel's face, casting a lovely line of moistness down her tan cheek.

"Things would've been hard for him, being in New York and not having a job, it wouldn't have been fair on him," Rachel said, shaking out her thoughts; things were becoming too heavy.

"You need to tell _him_ these things Berry, not us. He needs to know, he _deserves_ to know," Quinn explained gently.

The room fell into silence for a little while. Rachel was thinking things through. She missed him so much. She thought that she had worked everything out; that this was for the best, but now she doubted her own thoughts. Was it really for the best? Why did she tell him a month ago that things weren't going to work out? They could. Could they? She was going to NYADA, he didn't have a job or college to go to now; so what was he going to do if he _did_ come with her? She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I need to speak to him," Rachel said, more to herself than the other two.

"Sort of what we've been saying, but yeah sure," Santana said sarcastically.

"I know and you're both right, you've always been right. I… I'm just scared. I really like him and I want him more than anything, he makes me so happy but I'm just nervous about what the future holds for us. Moving to New York and everything, what if everything falls apart?" The small brunette worries, while nibbling her bottom lip.

"Okay, first thing… you really _like_ him? Come on Berry, you _liked_ him years ago, now… you _love_ him, and you need to start thinking about what that love can do for you both. Love is a strong thing. And secondly, no one knows what the future holds and that's the fun part… you've got to try to find out," Quinn says, leaning on Santana's knee as she got into her speech.

Rachel had taken every word in and couldn't believe how blind she had been. Yeah, she had liked Puck for years before they even expressed their crushes for each other, but she didn't want to think that she might _love_ him, because well, that meant things were serious and that sort of scared the crap out of her; she didn't want to get hurt.

But would Puck hurt her?

He never has…

And she now knows he never will.

God, she needs to speak to him… right now.

"You two are freakin' amazing! I've got to go now though and tell someone I lik… love them, I've got to tell Puck I love him… oh shit, I've got to tell _Puck _I _love_ him… _love_ him… oh god, I can't do this!" Rachel was now hyperventilating into the mirror, as Santana watched on rather amused and Quinn rubbed at Rachel's back.

"You need to tell him some time Berry, he's hating the distance just as much as you are," Santana said from her position on the wash basin.

"He is?" the petite brunette snapped away from the mirror and stared at Santana.

"Are you blind? Of course he is," Santana just waved it off with her hand.

"He told me that he wishes he knew what he did wrong as he is missing you so much. He realised that he was spending too much time away from you but he was trying to change that. He really likes you Berry," Quinn shrugged with a small smile.

"He told you he missed me and you didn't tell me?" Rachel asked starting to realise that she was completely, head over heels, ridiculously, hopelessly in love with Noah Puckerman.

"We thought you knew," Santana said, looking a little scared of Rachel's wide eyes.

"Is this the face of someone who knew?!" Rachel squeaked.

"I'm going to go with no," Quinn said a little cautiously.

"You're correct, it's not. I didn't know he missed me. I thought that he was moving on; I was scared that he was moving on. I should have never told him that we needed to have a break, god, I'm so stupid," Rachel starting mumbling again.

"Yeah, you were a little bit," Santana nodded along.

"Get your butt out there and tell him god damn it," Quinn said, pushing Rachel at the shoulders.

"I can't, I love him so much that I'm scared of saying the actual words to him," Rachel said, her cheeks flushed with adrenaline.

"Does that even make sense?" Santana whispered to Quinn who just shrugged.

"Okay, so how do you express yourself the most?" Quinn asked, trying to just get Rachel back out there.

"She likes to…" Santana began with a smirk on her face.

"No crude comments San," Quinn smacked the girl's thigh.

Santana just winked at Quinn, who rolled her eyes back at the brunette, before leaning on Santana's knee again.

"I don't know… I'm usually good at talking, but this just seems too much," Rachel shrugged.

"Well then… sing," Quinn smiled.

"Sing?" Rachel's eyebrow rose.

"Yeah, you know, it's like talking but you just do it to a tune and make the words sound longer," Santana winked.

"Shut up Lopez," Rachel laughed, "okay, so how should I sing and what should I sing?"

"A love song and do it at half time!" Quinn squealed, getting a little too excited about the concept.

"So fucking cliché," Santana mumbled; earning another smack from Quinn.

"That seems a little much, don't you think?" Rachel asked, thinking it over.

"Yes," Santana blurted out.

"No," Quinn grinned.

"Umm, fine, get the microphone ready. If I want to sing to him at halftime, I'll nod to you both, if I don't want to sing, I'll shake my head okay?" Rachel said, starting to back away from the wash basins and nearer the door.

"Okay, just make sure you make it clear about want you want to do," Quinn smiled back at the brunette.

"Okay guys, see you later! Love you both!" Rachel said over her shoulder as she jogged out of the girl's bathroom.

"She's mad," Santana shook her head as she hopped off the wash basin.

"But we love her for it," Quinn smiled as she linked her pinky with Santana's.

"Yeah, sometimes," the brunette winked as they walked out just after Rachel.

Walking quickly up the bleachers, Rachel looked over to Puck who was cheering along with everyone, his jacket wrapped tightly round his torso. It made Rachel smile, knowing that she was about to tell the boy that she had liked for so long that she loved him. It also made her swoon when she realised that he must have been freezing without his jacket on, but he did it for her.

Walking slowly up to her seat, she sat down and felt her heartbeat increase rapidly now that she was in close proximity to the amazing, cute and handsome boy she used to call her boyfriend; and would hopefully call him her boyfriend again soon enough.

"Hi," she said quietly, grabbing his attention.

"Hi to you too," he smiled sweetly.

"Are we winning?" Rachel asked, trying to make casual conversation first.

"Yeah, but not by far and it's nearly halftime in a couple of minutes so we need to get a move on if we want to win this thing," Puck explained.

Rachel smiled but then faltered when she registered what he had said. _It was nearly half time._ She needed to make up her mind about singing to him. Oh god… what does she do?!

"Are you okay, you took a long time and I saw Santana and Quinn rush off as well?" Puck asked, worry in his eyes.

Puck hadn't minded that Rachel had been some time, because it had given him time to think. With Rachel being here, it made him realise how much he liked her, how much he loved her company, how much he loved the way she would giggle or the way she tucked her hair behind her ear… just everything.

Oh who was he kidding… he loved her. Puck loved Rachel Berry.

Sitting on his own, he thought about how stupid it was that he wasn't fighting harder for them. The two had shared nearly every intimate moment together, they had shared first kisses, first touches, first weekend away and well, they had just shared memories and he couldn't believe that he was letting this slip away. They hadn't had sex yet because it didn't feel right to rush such a thing, but the more time they spent together, the more intense everything was becoming. Puck couldn't see his future without Rachel in it; plus, he knew he would be going to New York, whether Rachel wanted him there or not.

Yes, he still didn't really know why the relationship went downhill, apart from the fact that he was spending a lot of time away from Rachel and he hadn't put much effort in the relationship, but then he changed, he made changes to fix that, but still it went downhill and ended a month ago.

Now it was time to put it back together. They were stupid if they ever thought they could be apart for long.

So when Puck saw the beautiful brunette walk up the bleachers, he made it his mission to tell her the truth, about a couple of things, before this football game ended.

"Rach, were you okay?" Puck asked again, having seen Rachel blank out.

Santana and Quinn were watching the pair intently from the side lines, microphone ready for when Santana would or would not make an announcement about Rachel's impromptu performance.

"Yeah, I was fine; Santana and Quinn just wanted to chat for a long time," Rachel nodded her response, smiling bashfully at Puck's honest eyes.

"Was that a nod?" Santana whispered to Quinn.

"Yeah, I think so," Quinn said back, turning the microphone on.

"I'm glad you're okay but you look cold again… let me? Again?" Puck smiled, as he took off his jacket and went to put it round Rachel's shoulders.

"No," Rachel shook her head, "you looked freezing, I'll be fine, honestly Puck."

"Wait, she shook her head," Santana haltered their movements.

"I don't mind, I would… I would do it for you," Puck said sheepishly.

"I know you would and that… that's what makes you so special," Rachel said, looking at him in the eyes, while biting her lip nervously.

Puck would admit that he was shocked. Not even one hour ago, they had barely said a word to each other and now Rachel had just complimented him. It reminded him of when they would whisper sweet-nothings into each other's ear in the evenings when they were cuddled up on the couch in Rachel's lounge.

"I miss you Puck," Rachel blurted out, her eyes moist with want.

He turned fully in his seat.

"You do?" he asked, his voice cracking a little.

"Yeah… a lot," Rachel nodded with a dopey smile on her face.

"She nodded again, go go go," Quinn said, passing the mic to Santana.

Puck's smile grew to a grin.

"I can't believe I'm saying all this," Rachel shook her head, looking down into her lap, playing with her ring.

"Woah stop! She shook her head again," Quinn grabbed Santana's hand from pressing the sound system on.

"Oh for god's sake, I give up. She can sing to him on the bleachers for all I care. Let's go," Santana rolled her eyes as she stood up.

Quinn dragged her back down, resulting in Santana's foot to kick the sound system on.

"She needs to say it; they were basically made for each other!" Quinn squeals.

As Quinn's sentence echoed around the whole field and filtered up to the bleachers, Rachel froze, Santana froze, Puck froze and Quinn, well Quinn was bright red.

Santana subtly clicked the sound system off and grabbed Quinn's arm and manically ran away out of view and hid behind the bleachers.

The football players looked utterly confused for a couple of seconds before the halftime whistle blew loudly across the field, letting all the players retreat back to the locker rooms for refreshments and for the audience to have toilet breaks and get some food.

Two certain members of the audience hadn't moved.

"Umm, was that… was that Quinn?" Puck asked, trying not to laugh but at the same time trying not to shout his love to Rachel out loud.

Rachel noted to herself that she needed to have stern words with one blonde cheerleader after the game.

"Umm, no? I don't think so," Rachel shook her head weakly, "no idea what they were talking about, do you?"

The brunette slowly turned her head to look at Puck and he was just staring at her, scanning her features and swallowing every now and again. She felt her butterflies start up again and she didn't want them to stop. Puck licked his lips and slowly took off his leather jacket before leaning forward and putting it round Rachel's shoulders, as the brunette skillfully put her arms into the jacket and poked her hands out before wiggling to make the jacket more comfortable.

They moved a little closer on the bench, until Rachel's knees where flush with Puck's thigh.

"I think we both know what they were on about," Puck had a small, heartfelt smile on the corner of his lips, as his eyes sparkled with love.

Rachel just let a small, unknown tear cascade down her cheek, before the quick action of Puck's thumb lightly swiped it away.

"I got a job with a marketing agency in New York," Puck said, as he took Rachel's hand in his and played with her ring lovingly.

Rachel's mouth fell agape and she nearly lost it.

"I'm going to be a business boy," Puck smirked playfully.

"I can't believe it," Rachel gushed, putting her other hand on top of Puck's, stroking it.

"Neither can I… it took a couple of applications and a threatening phone call from my mom to the agency but I finally got it! It's a three year contract and then they'll see if they want to take me on fulltime," Puck grinned, shifting impossibly closer.

Rachel was shocked because she didn't even know he had applied for a job and also because she realised that things were going to be okay. They could work things out… _together._

Puck looked down as he took a deep breath, before looking back up with determination.

"I don't know what went wrong with us, but I don't care," Puck started, Rachel tried to interrupt but the boy didn't let her, "I don't care because that was the past and I don't know about you but I am so excited to see what the future is going to bring for us. Yes, _us._ I want to be with you Rachel. The last month has been so hard, harder than I thought it would be. You helped me become who I am right now and in the last month, all I thought about was you. I missed your voice, your annoying habit of always leaving the skin of your banana on the breakfast bar before we left for school, your singing, your sleep talking and the way you used to mumble silly sentences before you fell asleep. I like everything about you. You are beautiful, inside and out. I… I can't live without you. I know that seems way too dramatic, but right now… right in _this_ moment, that's how I feel. I… I love you Rachel," Puck finished, sniffing and looking deeply into Rachel's eyes.

"Yaaaaaay! You said it!" Santana shouted as she and Quinn jumped up from crouching behind the row to the right of them.

"THIS IS SO EXCITING!" Quinn squealed loudly as Santana grabbed her arm and dragged them both down the bleachers and they both carried on cheering as they ran into the school to have some refreshments.

"Sorry about them," Rachel giggled as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"And that," Puck said, as he bit his lip handsomely.

"What?" Rachel asked self-consciously.

"When you tuck your hair behind your ear," Puck said as he ran his hand through his mohawk, "is the most beautiful thing you do, as well as singing obviously."

Rachel didn't want to mention that he was just did the one thing that makes her swoon because she had more pressing matters in hand.

"You do realise you just said you loved me right?" Rachel said with a small smile on her lips.

"Indeed I did and I have basically been holding my breath waiting for your reaction since the words left my mou…"

Rachel's lips were on Puck's before he even had the chance to finish his sentence.

Their eyes closed the minute they felt each other's warm lips against the others, as sighs of relief and love were heard. Rachel scooted so that she was now on his lap, as Puck wrapped his arms securely round her middle, leaning up to kiss her passionately.

Calming her heartbeat down, she gave him one last longing kiss on his soft lips, before pulling back and resting her forehead against his; eyes still closed.

"I love you too Noah Puckerman. I love you more than anything," Rachel whispered into the quiet air.

Puck couldn't help but just grin madly. Pulling Rachel in for a lung-crushing hug, he kept whispering _'love you'_ into Rachel's ear over and over again, because… why not? He loved her!

Rachel pushed herself away, laughing wholeheartedly.

"Do you want to grab a movie and come back to mine after the game?" Rachel asked, sitting back onto the bench and linking her arm through Puck's, before resting her head on his shoulder.

"As long as it's not 'The Hunger Games' again," Puck chuckled.

"But it's so good!" Rachel whined, grinning up at him.

"Fine, but I get to choice the movie next time," Puck agreed.

"Deal," Rachel smiled.

People were starting to filter back on to the bleachers and the football players had already started to warm up on the field. Quinn and Santana came running back on to the field, wearing smiles but Rachel could have sworn that Quinn's hair had been in a ponytail when they had left.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The second half will begin now! Put your hands together for William McKinley and Carmel High!"

Rachel was clapping along happily as the game began, while Puck just basked in the feeling of having Rachel on his arm once again; he never felt happier than when he was with Rachel.

Thirty minutes into the second half, Puck moved away from Rachel and went to get up off the bleachers.

"Where are you going?" Rachel said with a frown on her face.

"I'll be back before you know it," Puck smiled, walking down the bleachers.

Rachel didn't think much into it, as she snuggled into Puck's jacket and watched Quinn and Santana giggling at the front. They were meant to be cheering but it looked like they were too engrossed in their conversation to really care right now.

As Rachel was wondering where Puck had gone, she spotted him walking up the bleachers… with a _massive_ stick of cotton candy.

Rachel's eyes lit up like the stars in the night sky.

"I think I promised you cotton candy if you came to the game?" Puck smiled timidly as he passed the candy into Rachel's eager hands.

"I can't believe you remember these silly promises you make," Rachel giggled.

"If I make you a promise, I'll never break it," Puck said, as he picked some candy and popped it into his mouth, grinning at Rachel.

"You are out of this world," Rachel shook her head as she basically shoved her face into the cotton candy and started happily munching away.

The game went on and in the last few minutes Carmel High scored the last point, making them win by one. Rachel had throw her cotton candy stick towards the field in anger accidently and Puck had lifted Rachel up high so she could congratulate McKinley for playing well anyway.

Puck linked his hand through Rachel's as they walked down the bleachers together, before they switched positions and Puck wrapped his arm round Rachel's shoulders and the brunette snuggled into his supportive side.

"Oh hell no! He cheated, he's obviously on drugs!" Santana shouted at the head referee.

Quinn was dragging on the back of Santana's cheerio's uniform.

"I swear I'm going to take this to court!" Santana finished before making a rude gesture and then allowing Quinn to drag her away, before the blonde slipped her pinky into the brunette's to calm her down.

"Fabray!" Rachel shouted, as she and Puck walked over to the duo.

"Berry! Yes! You're both back together again?" Quinn grinned excitedly.

"Looks like it," Puck grinned.

"Well, it's great that you are boyfriend and girlfriend again, but me and Quinn here need to get home," Santana grinned sarcastically.

"I'm so thankful for your kind words Lopez," Rachel winked back, used to Santana's sarcasm.

Puck chuckled and kissed Rachel's cheek.

"Gross, we're leaving," Santana fake gagged.

"Oh cut it San," Quinn swatted her arm.

"Anyway, Rach and I are going to go anyway, we're going to watch a film at her house," he smiled, starting to lead Rachel away.

"Or _not_ watch the film I'll bet," Santana mumbled, which made Quinn giggle.

"What guys?" Rachel asked over her shoulder.

"Nothing Berry, have a blast!" Santana grinned.

"See you two on Monday!" Rachel shouted back, before hugging into Puck's side.

Puck and Rachel walked out onto the parking lot, with Rachel in Puck's leather jacket and Puck in Rachel's heart, as they both talked about how they should start looking for flats in New York; it was the beginning of something amazing.

Quinn and Santana were about twenty meters behind the loved-up couple, walking towards Quinn's car.

"They had a good idea, want to watch a movie around mine?" Quinn smiled.

"Or not watch it?" Santana wiggled her eyebrows jokingly.

"Should we tell them about us?" Quinn stopped at her car, as she held Santana's hand.

"Nahh, that can wait until the next football game," Santana laughed, before getting into the car with Quinn.

As Rachel got into Puck's car and they drove to her house, _their home, _she truly knew things were going to be okay because she had Puck and he had her.

And cotton candy… they both had cotton candy.


End file.
